Written by

Nicole Krueger

Special to the Statesman Journal

As companies across all industries continue the struggle to stay afloat in today’s still-depressed economy, it’s a tough time to open a new business.

If the Best of the Mid-Valley awards are any indication, one recipe for success is to offer a diverse selection of locally handcrafted goods.

The Fussy Duck, which sells handmade gifts, vintage items and other “funky junk” from more than 100 different vendors, received the gold medal for New Business. With its broad, eclectic selection, the Salem store aims to offer something for everyone.

“People love shopping for handcrafted items,” said owner Risa Cowley. “People do crafting bazaars at the holiday time, and I thought it would be great to have one year-round.”

An avid crafter herself, Cowley opened the store in August 2010 with the goal of creating a place where she would enjoy shopping. Fussy Duck seems to have hit a nerve — word of mouth spread as customers gushed about the store to their crafty friends.

“It makes me feel good that somebody likes it as much as I do,” Cowley said. “It’s just a really cool store. It’s never the same when you come in.”

On the opposite end of the business spectrum, voters awarded the gold medal for Web Design to Opt-e-Web, which also won a bronze for Computer Support. This high-tech boutique firm blends web design with information technology support and online marketing services so that Mid-Valley businesses can get all of their online needs taken care of in one place.

Chief Executive Officer Scott Mills credits the company’s success in web design to website director Aaron Young, who builds customized sites from scratch without using any stock themes or templates.

“He’s an incredible designer,” Mills said. “We really try to be unique and give people what they want.”

Mills also takes an educational approach to web design by sitting down with each new client and explaining in layman’s terms how the process works.

“A lot of companies out there will confuse people so they don’t know what they’re buying,” he said. “My motto is: Don’t buy what you don’t understand.”

With search engine optimization services wrapped into the design package, each site at Opt-e-Web is built from the ground up to be search-friendly and easily found in the vast online marketplace, he said.

Other winners in computer-related categories include Sprague High School Web Design and 6Foot8, which won silver and bronze for Web Design, respectively, and Bits and PCs Computers and Salem Computer Inc., which won gold and silver medals for Computer Support, respectively.

Another industry in which consumers can end up paying for services they don’t fully understand is the contracting and remodeling business. Many unscrupulous contractors will offer low estimates on a job but jack up the price later through change orders — a practice Doug Wardell Jr. staunchly refuses to adopt.

His business, DL Remodeling, won top honors for Remodeler, Home Contractor, Homebuilder and Window Installer, as well as a silver medal for Interior Decorator.

A fifth-generation carpenter, Wardell has been involved in the industry all his life and has run his own business for the past 21 years.

“One of the things I do when I speak to somebody is listen to what they really want to do,” he said. “Sometimes they think a thing can be addressed from only one direction. I can give guidance and information to help them come up with a better solution for what they’re really trying to achieve.”

In addition to honoring their favorite new and well-established companies, Mid-Valley voters gave a nod to businesses that have folded, awarding the gold medal for Places That We Miss to Bob’s Burgers. The silver went to Borders bookstore, whose chain-wide demise dismayed reading enthusiasts across the country, while Burgerville’s Salem location took the bronze.

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